John Owan Enoh, the farmer as Nigeria’s Sports Minister

John Owan Enoh is not known to have any passions for sports. He has, however, been appointed Nigeria’s Sports Minister.

Tinubu announced the Sports portfolio to Owan Enoh, a politician and farmer from Cross River State.

Known with the acronym JOE, Owan Enoh is now the 36th person to occupy Nigerian sports since Chief Joseph Modupe Johnson (JMJ) in 1960.

The new sports minister was a senator representing the Central Senatorial District of Cross River State in the 8th assembly that ran from 2015 to 2019.

He was also a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) until May 2017 when he decamped to the ruling All progressives Congress (APC).

He contested the governorship position of Cross River State in 2019 but lost to Ben Ayade. At the time, Ayade was in the PDP.

Enoh owns numerous farms where he grows crops and livestock production.

He ventured into farming in the year 2000. By 2021, he has been cultivating about 2000 hectares of lands.

Enoh’s farm spreads across various parts of Cross River State.

About 150 hectares of planted palms in his native Agbokim Waterfalls; and expanding to about 100 hectares of planted palms, and counting, at Etara-Ekuri. All communities in Etung LGA of Cross River State, where the politician hails.

Enoh is said to operate an out-grower scheme in communities where his farms are located. The out-grower scheme is a corporate social responsibility scheme that empowers local small scale farmers with arable and livestock to grow in their farms and later provides them with the market to sell these products.

Analysts say it would have been fitting for Enoh to manage Nigeria’s Agriculture Ministry instead of Sports.